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Castlereagh Ironbark Forest
Overview
Castlereagh Ironbark Forest ranges from open forest to low woodland. It contains many pea flower plants in its understory which put on a very nice display when they are all in flower. It occurs mainly on clay soils, but can also be found on shale soils of the Wianamatta Shales. According to NPWS, only 859 ha of this community remains, just 7.2% of its original distribution. It is listed as an endangered ecological community under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. There are no remaining examples of Castlereagh Ironbark Forest in the Blacktown LGA.
A section of Castlereagh Ironbark Forest in the Blacktown area.
Dominant Plant Species
Below is an example of the dominant plant species of this community.
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Canopy Species Broad Leaved Ironbark (Eucalyptus fibrosa)
Paperbark (Melaleuca decora) |
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Understory Species Melaleuca nodosa
Peach heath (Lissanthe strigosa)
Dillwynia tenuifolia
Pultenaea villosa
Gorze Bitter Pea (Daviesia ulicifolia) | |
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Ground Species Kangaroo grass (Themeda australis)
Lepidosperma laterale
Dianella revoluta
Weeping Meadow Grass (Microlaena stipoides) | |
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Threatened Species
Nodding geebung (Persoonia nutans)
Dillwynia tenuifolia
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Surrounding Communities
Castlereagh Ironbark Forest usually grows on clay soils that have alluvial soils underneath. Alluvial soils are soils that were deposited by floods in the past. When the alluvial deposits become thin, the vegetation changes to Shale-Gravel Transition Forest. When the soil becomes sandier, it changes to Castlereagh Scribbly Gum Forest.
Major Impacts
As with many of the vegetation communities in the Sydney Basin, the major factor responsible for the reduction of its original distribution is clearing, originally for agriculture and wood then later for urban expansion and development.
Issues facing the remaining stands include:
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